Sprouts Farmers Market stores nationwide are stocked with limited-time pumpkin spice and harvest-inspired Sprouts Brand products. Several items will make their debut this year, such as Organic Pumpkin Spice Kombucha, Harvest Salsa, Apple Cider Jam and Pumpkin Vinaigrette. Back by popular demand are Pumpkin Snaps, Pumpkin Seed Tortilla Chips and Pumpkin Loops, among others. These […]
Category: National
IDDBA Debuting Visionary Pavilion Exhibit Area For IDDBA 20
The International Dairy Deli Bakery Association revealed its new, exclusive opportunity to exhibit alongside IDDBA trends and the New Product Showcase at IDDBA 20 in The Visionary Pavilion. “The Future Today! New Products. New Companies. New Growth.” Located near registration, the area is carpeted and will serve as the gateway to the show floor and […]
CFI: Health-Conscious Consumers Confused By Mixed Messages
As legal battles are waged across the country regarding new laws prohibiting the use of words like “milk,” “meat” and “burger” for alternative versions, new research from The Center for Food Integrity (CFI) shows that a significant and growing group of health-conscious consumers is confused by the mixed messages they’re receiving about the “real deal” […]
Design Can Help Private Brands Stand Out On Store Shelves
Do your private brand products stand out on the shelf or do they fade into the background—simply another can, box or bottle among a sea of competitors? In today’s retail environment, 98 percent of national brand assortment is the same across retailers—making differentiation through private brands vital to a retailer’s success. And what’s on the […]
Annual Test Verifies Cleanliness of Corrugated Shipping Containers
An independent study has confirmed that corrugated containers used to transport fresh produce are safe and clean. Fresh produce has been documented by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a leading source of food-borne illness. With the passage of the U.S. Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) in 2011, the supply chain […]
Feeding America Comments On New USDA Report Findings
A new report released Sept. 4 by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) found that one in nine households (11.1 percent) in the United States encountered difficulty at some time during 2018 in providing enough food for their family. This represents a decline of 0.7 percentage points from last year and is the lowest […]
Reckitt Benckiser Debuts VEO Probiotic Surface Cleaner
Reckitt Benckiser LLC, a global consumer health and hygiene company with U.S. offices in New York, introduced VEO Active-Probiotics Surface Cleaner. Developed with bio-based surfactants and active probiotics, VEO biodegrades dirt and grime on kitchen surfaces. Probiotics also help contribute to the balancing of the home microbiome, according to the company. “With consumer research, we […]
Kraft Heinz Signs Brand Central To Bring Iconic Brands To Life
Chicago-based Kraft Heinz, a global food and beverage company comprising brands like Planters, Kraft, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Jell-O, Heinz, Kool-Aid, Lunchables, Kraft Mac and Cheese, and Velveeta, has selected global brand consultancy Brand Central for outbound licensing to extend its best-selling brands into new lifestyle and food and beverage consumer product categories. Kraft Heinz has […]
FMI Explores Grocery Foodservice In Annual Report
Food Marketing Institute (FMI) released its annual assessment of the state of the foodservice at retail Sept. 4, demonstrating the opportunities for retailers to leverage a $13 billion category. Growing annually at 8.2 percent, foodservice is presented as a primary strategy for food retailers to differentiate and appeal to convenience-seeking consumers. FMI’s 2019 Power of Foodservice […]
Inventor Creates DogSpot For The ‘Best Boys And Girls’
by Terrie Ellerbee/editor-Midwest, Southwest Chelsea Brownridge has built not a better mousetrap but a better doghouse as an ingenious solution for keeping doggos, puppers, fluffers and woofers safe outside when fur-parents shop. She is the co-founder of DogSpot, a company that provides high-tech doghouses that protect pets outside a store and enable their owners to […]
Mercato Continues To Innovate Its Online Shopping Platform For Independents
by Lorrie Griffith/editor-in-chief Online grocery shopping continues its growth trajectory. The percentage of U.S. consumers who purchased groceries online over the past year grew from about 23.1 percent to 36.8 percent, according to Coresight Research cited by Mercato, an online marketplace for independent grocers. Mercato also noted that, based on U.S. Census Bureau data, the […]
Hemp Vs. Marijuana: CBD Products Continue To Confuse
by Terrie Ellerbee/editor-Southwest The 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp by removing the crop and its derivatives from the definition of marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act. That not only set into motion a race to get more hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) products to consumers nationwide but also rampant confusion about their legality. Hemp is not marijuana. […]
Kroger Foundation’s Innovation Fund Names Its Inaugural Cohort
The Innovation Fund, a program of Cincinnati, Ohio-based The Kroger Co. Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation, has named its inaugural cohort of innovators, selected from nearly 400 applicants who submitted interest earlier this year during the first-ever open call. The invitation welcomed innovators to submit ideas and solutions to prevent food waste for an opportunity […]
Former Trader Joe’s President Shares Views On Today’s Grocery Business
Doug Rauch drew a crowd for his opening keynote address at ECRS’ Retail Success Conference—Ignite 19—held July 29-31 in Nashville, Tennessee. Rauch spent 31 years at Trader Joe’s, ultimately serving as national president of the California-based food retailer for a couple of years after serving as president of the company’s East division for more than […]
AmazonFresh Delivery Now Available In Houston, Minneapolis, Phoenix
On Aug. 22, Amazon released news that AmazonFresh has expanded to three new cities: Houston, Minneapolis and Phoenix. Prime members in those cities can now for products ranging from meat and seafood to fresh produce and everyday essentials for free two-hour delivery. “We’re thrilled to introduce AmazonFresh to Prime members in Houston, Minneapolis and Phoenix,” […]
Fortune Brand Launches Gluten-Free Shelf-Stable Noodles Nationwide
The Fortune brand of fresh refrigerated Asian noodles has launched a gluten-free noodle line nationwide. Shelf-stable and partially cooked, the noodles are available in four flavors, Ramen with Miso Pork soup base, Udon with Garlic Chicken soup base, Soba Buckwheat with Shoyu soup base and Red Rice Ramen with Shoyu soup base. The new line […]
Bristol Bay Sockeye Salmon Promotions Drive Sales Increase
Fishermen in Alaska’s Bristol Bay caught more than 43 million sockeye salmon this summer in the second-largest harvest season ever recorded. The season is wrapping up and summertime fresh promotions of Bristol Bay Sockeye Salmon have posted big lifts at retail across the country. H-E-B, New Seasons, QFC, Rosauers and Wegmans participated at more than […]
Foodservice Packaging Institute Seeking New President
The Foodservice Packaging Institute is looking for a new president after Lynn Dyer announced she would be leaving the association this fall. Dyer has been with the Falls Church, Virginia-based FPI for more than 20 years. She helped to quadruple its membership, amplified FPI as the voice of the foodservice packaging industry and guided the […]
Alto Shaam’s Self-Cleaning Rotisserie Offers Safety, Cost Benefits
Alto Shaam highlighted three of its foodservice equipment innovations at the NRA Show. First up was its self-cleaning rotisserie oven. The AR-7T saves labor for retail operations as it self-cleans at the end of the night, according to the company’s communications specialist, Rachael Sanford, who spoke with The Shelby Report‘s Geoff Welch at the show. […]
UNFI Opens Two Facilities, Lists Four Regional Presidents
by Terrie Ellerbee/editor-Midwest UNFI became interested in Supervalu for one central reason: scale. That drove the decision to acquire it, according to Sean Griffin, UNFI’s chief operating officer. “The benefits of scale ultimately is what this is all about,” Griffin told attendees at the UNFI National Expo in St. Paul, Minnesota. “We’re creating a company […]
